Erection of brickwork structures



June 7, 1949. MAUI-HOUSE 2,472,221

ERECTION OF BRICKWORK STRUCTURES Original FiledMayQ, 1944 I N VEN TOR.

w @Maf-Mm ATTO R N EY5 Patented June 7, 1949 QLiillbTi KER}.

ERECTION OF BRICKWORK STRUCTURES Ernest Goodall Malthouse, Sheflield,England Original application May 9, 1944, Serial No. 534,761. Dividedand this application July 23, 1945, Serial No. 606,488. In Great BritainApril 2 Claims.

This invention relates to the erection of brickwork structures, and hasfor its general object the provision of novel and improved methods,products, and apparatus involved in laying up a wall or other structure,utilizing various types of masonry units, for example, the prefabricatedbrickwork units described in my copending application Serial No.534,761, filed May 19, 1944 (since abandoned), of which the presentapplication is a division.

The general aim of this invention, as well as those described in theabove-mentioned and other of my copending applications, is to make itpossible for masonry or other brickwork structures to be erected byrelatively unskilled laborers, and to this end the individual bricks ormasonry elements may be united by the use of templates or forms toprovide prefabricated subdivisions of the wall or other structure to beerected, all as described in the application to which reference has beenmade. The subject of the present application comprises the assembly ofsuch prefabricated units, or other unitary or composite buildingelements into a wall or other structure, by unskilled workmen, withouttrowelling, plumbing, or pursuing other skilled practices of the expertbricklayer.

More specific objects of the invention are the provision of means forguiding the structural units into perfectly aligned position in thewall, whether those units are provided with a horizontal base or are ofa serrated or stepped nature; the provision of spacing elements ordistance pieces in order to maintain the proper clearance between theunits being assembled, to attain proper alignment, and also to providespace for the cementing material employed; and also to provide spacingor distance pieces of novel configuration for the purpose of not onlyspacing the constituent elements apart but also guiding those elementsduring placement.

A further object is to provide methods and means for levelling thedistance pieces for the reception of superposed building elements.

Other objects and features of novelty will .be apparent from thefollowing specification when read in connection with the accompanyingdrawings in which certain embodiments of the invention are illustratedby way of example.

In the drawings,

Fig. 1 is a perspective view illustrating generally a wall constructionand the method of erection embodying the principles of the invention;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged view of part of Fig. 1 and shows certain spacingpieces in more detail, those pieces having been omitted from Fig. 1 forthe sake of clearness of illustration;

Figure 3 is a fragmentary view partly in vertical transverse section andpartly in perspective of a portion of the foundation or footing showingthe means for establishing a level for the first course of units, theproportions of certain of these means being exaggerated for the purposeof clearness; and

Figure 4 is a fragmentary view in elevation of a portion of a wallshowing the junction of one triangular unit with two adjacent invertedtriangular units, a portion of one of the leveling elements and itsembedding material being shown in section, and in somewhat exaggeratedsize.

Although illustrated and described in connection with pre-formedbrickwork units such as described in the original application referredto. it will be understood that certain phases of the present inventionare applicable to masonry units of a solid or integral character.

In erecting a brickwork structure such as the wall illustrated in thedrawings, it is preferable first to lay a concrete or other foundation3| as suggested in Fig. 1 of the drawings, the foundation being providedin its upper surface with a groove 32 of a width which is governed bythe thickness of the wall to be built and the cement to be applied tothe groove. However, within the broader scope of the invention, any sortof base or footing may be provided for the wall structure.

In Fig. 1 it will be seen that the wall consists of a plurality ofsubstantially triangular preformed masonry units 33, each of the unitshaving a long horizontal side and a short oppositely disposed side,these sides being connected by end or edge surfaces of a serrated orstepped configuration. First a series of units 33 are laid with theirbroad sides downward, within the groove 32 of the foundation 3|. Then anintervening series or similar units 34 are inverted and lowered intoplace in intermeshing relationship with the stepped edges of thepreviously laid units 33, as clearly shown in Fig. 1. i

In preparing the units 33 and 34, accordin to the method described in mycopendin application, the individual bricks may be provided with pairsof openings, the associated openings in the units providing passageways36 leading vertically therethrough. Certain of these passagewaysdisposed at intervals along the units may be provided with reinforcingrods 39, the ends of which project slightly from the passageways whichthey occupy. By suitably alternating the rods 39 and empty passageways,means are provided for not only reinforcin the units but also forassisting the bonding of the units by the interlocking of the projectingends of the rods with the adjacent openings or passageways in the matingunits.

Some of the protruding ends of the reinforcing bars 39 may bescrew-threaded for the attachment of bars, eyes, or the like, to beengaged by the hoisting tackle 53 as suggested in Fig. 1.

The units 33 and 34 may be laid up in ordinary cement or mortar toprovide the bonding joint 38, but in line with the general purposes ofthe invention, it is preferred that th bonding processes subsequentlydescribed herein be pursued.

In order to govern the thickness of the joints 33 between the units 33and 34 there are provided a plurality of small distance pieces 31 whichmay be in the form of round buttons preferably made of some ceramicmaterial and scattered at random upon the horizontal surfaces 55 of thestepped edges of the units 33. Also, in order to gauge the horizontalspacing of the units 33 and 34 and to guide the units 34 into position,there are provided the triangular wedge pieces 35. These pieces are of across-sectional configuration corresponding to a right-angled triangle,the short base portion of which rests upon the horizontal surface 55 andthe longer vertical sideof which rests against the vertical surface 56of the stepped edge of the unit. Thus when the units 34 are lowered intoplace, portions of the serrated edges thereof will contact with theinclined surface of the wedge pieces 35 and be guided into properposition. The horizontal surfaces of the superposed unit 34 will finallycome to rest upon the distance pieces 31 and in this position thecorresponding vertical surfaces 56 will be properly spaced apart by thebase thickness of the wedges 35. The above described method andstructure are amply exemplified in Figure 4 of the drawings.

When the units 34 have thus been set in place the joint 33 is groutedwith a liquid cementing mixture, and preferably guiding and retainingelements are applied to each side of the joint as shown in Figure 8 ofmy United States Patent No. 2,438,613. These elements are provided withbevelled or sloping portions which also serve to assist in guiding thesubsequent units into place.

Having erected a row or course of units 33 and 34, distance pieces 40,of the same character as the pieces 31, are covered on the under sidewith plastic bedding or jointing material 40, such as cement in aplastic condition, and then laid on the exposed upper bonding faces ofthe units 33 and 34, forming one course of the wall. These distancepieces 40, embedded upon their pats or mounds of cement, mortar, orother bedding or bondin material, are levelled, conveniently with theaid of a theodolite, along the complete row of the units 33 and 34 whichhave been erected.

Distance pieces which are too low are raised by the addition of moreplastic bedding and jointin material, and those which are too high aredepressed in their applied bedding and bonding material.

After the bedding and jointing material seating the distance pieces 40has set, a second course of the brickwork units is erected in the samemanner as previously described in connection with the first row orcourse of units.

It will be appreciated that the foundation grooves 32 in the footing orfoundation 3i may be levelled by the use of similar distance pieces 40in the manner just described, before the first row of units 33 is laid,as shown for example in Figure 3.

Similar channel guides, of the type disclosed in my aforesaid Patent2,438,613, may be disposed in horizontal position and used in connectionwith the laying of the initial units 33 of succeeding courses of units.Specific reference is made to Figures 3, 4, and 5 of the above mentionedpatent.

It is understood that various changes may be made in the embodimentsillustrated and described herein without departin from the scope of theinvention as defined by the following claims.

In the appended claims, the phrase a previously-laid foundation is to beread as including a foundation proper for the reception of a firstcourse of units, or a foundation formed by a course of units ready toreceive a subsequent course.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new and desiredto be secured by Lettcrs Patent is:

1. The method of erecting a masonry wall structure of large preformedunits in simulation of individually-laid bricks or blocks, said unitsbeing laid up in the wall with plastic bonding material, said methodconsisting of laying a plurality of distance pieces each on a quantityof plastic jointing material placed upon a previously-laid foundation,bringing the distance pieces to a predetermined level while the jointingmaterial remains plastic; allowing the jointing material to set;lowering preformed units vertically into position until the bases of theunits rest on the distance pieces, the joint between the units thusbeing formed to a thickness determined by the height to which thedistance pieces have been levelled; completing a whole row of suchpreformed units, and repeating the application of levelled distancepieces and the lowering of further preformed units upon the uppersurface of the row to form another row of bevelled units, the operationbeing continued until the whole structure reaches the required height,the interstices between the units being filled in with plastic bondingmaterial.

2. The method of erecting a masonry wall structure of large preformedunits in simulation of individually-laid bricks or blocks, said unitsbeing laid up in the wall with plastic bonding material, said methodconsisting of laying a plurality of distance pieces each on a quantityof plastic jointing material placed upon a previously-laid foundation,bringing th distance pieces to a predetermined level while the jointingmaterial remains plastic; allowing the jointing material to set;assembling on the foundation a row of preformed units some at least ofwhich have stepped end surfaces adapted to intermesh with each other, bylowering the units vertically into position until the bases of the unitsrest on the distance pieces, the joint between the units thus beingformed to a thickness determined by the height to which the distancepieces have been levelled; placing distance pieces also on thehorizontal surfaces of the stepped end of one unit before the placing ofanother unit, and repeating the application of levelled distance piecesand the lowering of further preformed units upon the upper surfac of therow to form another row of levelled units, the operation being continueduntil the whole structure reaches the required height, the intersticesbetween the units being fllled in with plastic bonding material.

ERNEST GOODALL MALTHOUSE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 860,927 Mann July 23, 1907952,918 Mann Mar. 22, 1910 1,011,283 Ullrich Dec, 12, 1911 1,440,366Baldwin Jan. 2, 1923 1,447,267 Rurade Mar. 6, 1923 1,637,657 Riegel Aug.2, 1927 2,105,613 Poston Jan. 18, 1938 2,239,989 Britton Apr. 29, 1941

